You did good. You woke up this morning, put on your sneakers and actually made it out for a workout. Or maybe that well-meaning frenemy of yours finally convinced you to stop being such a lump and get out there for some cardio. Or maybe you want a group class to meet other people. Whatever your motivation, treat yourself afterwards. Our pairings are fitness double acts that will blitz your body and feed your coffee addiction.
Seven Work out and Brunch Pairings
Yoga and Breakfast: The Garage + Hotel Brummell
Where: Poble Sec
When model and mom Verónica Blume isn’t on a Uniqlo billboard, turning heads, you’ll likely find her on her head, teaching yoga inside The Garage, her bright and serene studio with exposed brick walls. The studio´s name is an homage to the building’s car-mechanic past. Blume loved the ethos – a place where (car) bodies were optimized. She now guides yin, hatha-vinyasa, aero, and family yoga classes in the same space. Once the outside of your body is optimized, take a one minute stroll onto Nou de la Rambla and refuel inside the Sri Lankan-inspired Hotel Brummell, a boutique B&B with banana plants, a blue daub of a rooftop pool, and a banging late breakfast menu.
Pilates and Superfoods: Balance Studio + Almalibre Açaí House
Where: Eixample
Balance Studio is one of those close-knit places where you feel more like friends than customers (well, until your abs start screaming). Mat pilates workouts take place in handful-sized group classes, or there are individual and duo reformer sessions, all tailored to English speakers. After class, walk across Calle Girona for one of the best açaí bowls in town. With sister restaurants in Miami and Madrid, Almalibre knows its superfood smarts, serving a stellar line-up of salads, vegan burgers and the addictive Campeón Inmune juice – a zingy hit of pear, carrot, lemon and orange.
Yoga, TRX, and Shakshuka: The Studio + Buti Yoga + Federal Café
Where: Gótico
Set up by Brit Jamie Szymonik, perhaps Barcelona’s most patient physical therapist, The Studio has 25 classes, but is most famous for TRX, those ceiling-dangling straps of torture designed for Navy Seals to use during overseas deployment. Less militant is the new Buti Yoga, a hybrid of HIIT cardio, core training and African dance, plus monthly pop-up workshops like sound baths and essential oil therapy. Workout done? Now you only need to use your cutlery-holding muscles nearby at the Gótico location of Federal Café. An Aussie-vibed snack space, Federal Café aces the essentials: Allpress coffee, banana bread, shakshuka, and a mean avocado toast with lemon and black sesame.
Kickboxing and Cake: Pow! Box BCN + On Y Va
Where: Sarrià
Run by another Brit, kickboxing black-belt Ryan Summers runs boxing and HIIT classes in three of Barcelona’s prettiest outdoor spots: Ciutadella Park, beachside at Passeig Maritim, and Jardins del Doctor Roig i Raventós, near Turó Park, which is our focus here. Pow! Box BCN workouts are, well, work: a brain- and body-punishing mix of punch sequences, kettlebells, and animal flow that’s still suitable for boxing-glove virgins. Celebrate survival after your class with coffee and Oreo cake at On Y Va, a cozy-cool café five minutes away on Calle Ciutat de Balaguer. Famous for being cyclist-friendly, you’ll find information on bike trails and cyclist-focused yoga at On y Va, as well as some dangerously satisfying bagels, pastries and brownies, all of which will test your resistance power in another way.
All That and a Poke Bowl: Nike Box Barcelona + Surf House
Where: Barceloneta
Combine enthusiastic young instructors with one of Barcelona’s most iconic locations (minus the need to fight tourists for towel space) and Nike Box has nailed the ultimate fitness formula. There’s a daily schedule of classes offered by a variety of unique fitness experts, including Yoga By The Sea’s Sandra González; Judit Abarca’s rollerobics – yes, that’s aerobics on skates; and, Ely Merino’s SUP on the sea. Ease hunger growls at Surf House, barely a minute away, a popular spot for poké bowls and topping-loaded nachos.
TBE Insider:
Eclipse Bar on the 26th floor of the nearby W hotel offers a RETOX brunch from 1pm on Sundays – unlimited Asian food and cocktails, a DJ, and killer views for 59 euros.
Me and the Devil: Shanti Vida + Satan’s Coffee Corner
Where: Gótico
If you’re looking for a more holistic workout, where breathwork, mindfulness training and reiki sessions rub expertly-toned shoulders with some of the city’s best yoga teachers, Shanti Vida is the top (downward-facing) dog. Yoga is a match-your-mood affair – restorative yin, spiritual Jivamukti, dynamic Rocket. There’s a real focus on self-care, both through retreats (i.e. couples’ tantra) and soul-warming events, such as body painting with breast cancer survivors. Continue your buzz an eight-minute walk away at Satan’s, the least conformist coffee haunt. Beans are locally roasted by Right Side, and the Japanese-inspired menu brings memorable mouthfuls – toast with espresso butter, chia in beetroot juice, granola with mango gel, and homemade kimchi.
Baletonic barre + SlowMov
Where: Sant Gervasi
A barre class is like a date with an insanely gorgeous charmer who you know will make your heart ache. Or, in this case, thighs ache. Barre seduces you with its tiny leg movements and feather-light weights; yet it burns like a hot pan and, oh boy, does it work. Olga Ausejo’s Baletonic fuses together all of the agonizing-but-effective parts of pilates and ballet, bringing the kind of elevating magic to your derriere that you’d only dreamed of. If you can still walk the seven minutes to SlowMov afterwards, your reward will be hot and energizing. This coffee roastery doesn’t just pour caffeine; it also runs educational coffee classes and tastings. Bottoms up, indeed.
